Sentencing of an 18-year-old Watsonville gang member was suspended Tuesday after his brother and two teen girls in the audience became disruptive and were escorted from the courtroom.

The trio became angry when a bailiff asked them not to talk to defendant Andre Julian Lopez. They didn't go quietly and ended up screaming obscenities at a bailiff as they strode down the hallway, out of the building and into the parking lot.

Lopez, who was to be sentenced to 10 years for burglary and gang participation and apparently thought it was the last time he would see his family for a while, also became belligerent and challenged the deputy to a fight.

Lopez is 5 feet 6 inches tall and 115 pounds, per jail records; the bailiff is much bigger.

Lopez was removed from the courtroom and retired Monterey County Judge Stephen Sillman, who was filling in, rescheduled sentencing to 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Lopez was arrested in September, a few days after a man vacationing at a home on Via Palo Alto in Aptos returned to the home and saw two men near the front door holding a duffel bag that belonged to his daughter, sheriff's deputies said.

One of the men threatened the older man with a knife before they jumped in a Toyota Camry with three others inside and fled, throwing the knife out the window, deputies said. Two were caught after the car crashed on Airport Boulevard, and Lopez was arrested after investigators recovered his fingerprints, prosecutor Charlie Baum said.

Lopez recently admitted to burglary and gang participation in exchange for a 10-year prison sentence, Baum said. He was charged with a second residential burglary in Aptos and possession of stolen property from a third theft case, he said.

Lopez's attorney, Jesse Ruben, said his client could serve just 50 percent of the sentence. Asked to comment about the courtroom outbursts, Ruben said only that his client was young and under stress.

SANTA CRUZ

Police: Man with stolen bike, ammunition arrested

A 36-year-old man was arrested after a Center Street resident saw the man coming out of the resident's backyard with the his bike about 9:30 p.m. Monday, police said.

The man fled on the cruiser and was spotted by an officer downtown a short while later, after the resident flagged down an officer, Deputy Chief Steve Clark said.

Patrick John Collins was arrested on suspicion of theft, violating felony probation and possession of ammunition, Clark said.

Collins, a transient, was found with ammunition for a .38 special, Clark said.

WATSONVILLE

Authorities: Man stabbed at Pajaro River levee

A man was reportedly stabbed on the Monterey County side of the Pajaro River levee Tuesday afternoon but picked up by medical personnel in Watsonville.

A relative picked the man up at the levee and brought him into Watsonville, Monterey County sheriff's Sgt. Joe Moses said. The stabbing occurred around 3:30 p.m., he said.

Medical personnel responded to the 600 block of Main Street in Watsonville to attend to the victim. The man, believed to be in his early 20s, was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Santa Clara County, Moses said.

Moses did not know the extent of the man's injuries and did not have information about a possible suspect or motive.

APTOS

Deputy reportedly battles with suspect

Two citizens, including an Aptos fire captain, helped apprehend a suspect after he assaulted a Santa Cruz County sheriff's deputy Tuesday afternoon.

The deputy was responding to a call at Aptos Village Park around 3:30 p.m. for a reported disturbance involving individuals believed to be drunk, sheriff's Lt. Bob Pursley said.

While there, the deputy spotted 32-year-old Adam Bollman, who was wanted on various warrants. He attempted to take Bollman into custody but the man became combative and lashed out. Attempts to subdue Bollman were unsuccessful, Pursley said.

Over the scanner, a deputy could be heard saying they were "in trouble" that they needed backup and were "involved in fisticuffs."

A resident at the park and a fire captain intervened and were able to assist the deputy in subduing Bollman.

Bollman was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an officer and on the outstanding warrants. He was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail.

Bollman of Aptos was arrested in September in Capitola on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, and for resisting arrest. At that time, he also had a warrant out of Paradise, Capitola police reported.